


One Lifetime Is Never Enough

by JemsFormUnderPressure



Series: Newsies/Supergirl Crossover [1]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, F/F, F/M, M/M, Major Illness, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 02:36:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15329862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemsFormUnderPressure/pseuds/JemsFormUnderPressure
Summary: Adeline was a girl hidden from the world. A girl that perfected the art of sneaking out at age seven, and whose safe space was Medda's theatre. She meets a boy called Jack Kelly when they a sneak into the theatre, and the two become fast friends. However, they have to navigate the many obstacle placed in front of them. They also have to live if they want to be happy, but Adeline's immune system makes that hard. And if they do die, would they be able to find each other in their next life?





	One Lifetime Is Never Enough

Adeline anxiously looked around and slipped through her window. Within a few moments, she was on the ground and down the street, lilac dress hiked up. She stopped at a street vendor with a smile.  
"Miss Adeline, sneakin out again I reckon?" The girl nodded enthusiastically with a bright smile.  
"Yessir! Papa hasn't been lettin' me out b'cause last time I got real sick."  
The man nodded thoughtfully and gave her a small piece of chocolate. Adeline gasped and quickly popped the piece into her mouth. "Yer birthday's comin up soon, if I recall."  
"Yessir! I turn 11 in eight days!" The man let out a jolly laugh.  
"Well, stay safe today! Wouldn't want ya to get hurt now. How 'bout you go to Miss Medda's? I'm sure she'd love ta see ya 'gain."  
Adeline gave him a serious nod waved. "Yessir! See you later!" The girl took off down the street again, tripping every few steps. It was clear to anyone who noticed her that she knew where she was going.  
Twenty minutes later, Adeline stood in front of Medda's theatre. The girl wore a wide grin as she casually walked down the side ally and climbed up the side fire escape. Someone from the third floor opened a window and whacked a rug on the side of the building.  
"Mr. Thompson?" The girl said and then coughed from the dust that rained down. The man leaned a little out the window. The two grinned and Adeline scrambled the rest of the way up.  
"Miss Adeline! It's great to see you again! Miss Medda and the others are in rehearsal right now." Adeline climbed through the window and brushed off her dress.  
"Thank you Mr. Thompson!" Adeline hurried down the hall until she heard a noise from a nearby room. Adeline frowned and opened the door. Inside, a boy was lying on the ground, hair obviously ruffled, and looking as if he had just fallen in. And judging by the open window above him, that was very likely. "What are you doing here?" Adeline demanded.  
The boy jumped up and wringed his hands. To Adeline's content, the boy looked guilty for being caught. "Sorry, Ise had to get away." Adeline's gaze softened and she walked over to him.  
"Get away from what?" The girl asked in a new, quiet tone.  
"Bad guys." The boy replied. Adeline gave one nod and rocked on her heels.  
"I ran from home for a few hours. My dad doesn't ever let me out of the house. He's scared I'm gonna catch something and die." She told the boy dramatically. "I'm Adeline Brown."  
"...Jack Kelly." Adeline raised her eyebrows.  
"Are you sure? You don't sound positive." Jack gave her a deadpanned look.  
"I ain't in to the habit of givin' strangers my name. 'Sides... I hate my name." Adeline studied him for a moment with a calculating glare.  
"..." Jack looked away under her gaze. "Fine. It's nice to meet you Jack Kelly. Ever been in Miss Medda's before?" Jack straightened up as Adeline started to walk away.  
"Hey, where's ya going?" Adeline turned around at the door and cocked her head.  
"I'm watching their rehearsal." Jack made a silent 'Oh' and followed after her.  
"Yeah, Ise been here a few times."  
~  
~  
~  
A soft clang at Adelin's window made her stand up with a wide smile. She ran over to the window and waved at Jack, who had been tossing rocks at he window. With a quick hand gesture, she ushered him to the side of her home, and quickly slipped out of her room. Unbeknownst to her, a maid watched while she walked up the stairs.  
Adeline excitedly waited at a window in the hall for Jack to climb up. When she saw his head, she quietly opened the window and he clambered in. As Adeline closed the window, Jack snuck into her room, all without a single sound.  
"My dads working in his office." And then Adeline sneezed. The small noise made Jack nearly and she blushed. Suddenly, there was a small knock on Adeline's bedroom door and the two kids jumped. As the door opened, Jack launched himself behind a chair and held his breath. In came Maggie, Adeline's maid.  
"Miss Adeline? Would you like me to make you some sandwiches?" Adeline's eyes flickered to Jack for half a second in panic.  
"Um, yes please Maggie." Maggie did a small curtsy and, with a secretive smile, leaned in closer to Adeline.  
"I'll make sure to make extra for your friend."  
Adeline's eyes widened and Jack poked his head out. "W-what? How di-"  
Maggie straightened back up and cleared her throat. "If you have have to go so far as to smuggling in a friend just to have some resemblance of a normal life then who am I to stop you?" Adeline watched in a daze as Maggie left the room with a grin.  
"... Do I still gots ta hide?" Adeline lightly hit him.  
~  
~  
~  
Maggie took the, now warm, washcloth off Adeline's forehead and placed it into a basin of lukewarm water. She grabbed a different cloth out of the basin, wringed it out, folded it, and gently placed it on the girl's burning forehead. Maggie watched her for a few more seconds before she got up and left the room. Adeline's father, Charles Brown, looked up from the book he was reading.  
"How is she? Any better?" The worried father asked.  
Maggie gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry Sir." Charles ran his hands across his face and sighed.  
"Stay with her." Maggie curtsied and went back into Adeline's room. A soft clang soon got Maggie's attention. She knew what this was. Maggie hurried over to Adeline's window and pulled back a little part of the curtain. The maid looked down at Jack and shook her head subtly and with no small amount of sadness. Jack immediately deflated and hung his head and Maggie watched as Jack dejectedly walked away.  
Adeline groaned in her sleep and curled in on herself. In a flurry of movement, Maggie was next to her and coaxing her awake. Minutes later, Adeline's eyes fluttered open. "M...Mag-gie?" She croaked out. Maggie only gave her a gentle smile and grabbed a glass of water off the bedside table for Adeline to drink. Adeline was only able to manage a sip or two and then she quite literally passed out again.  
Maggie walked out of the house and wrapped her shawl around her even tighter. She hurried down the sidewalk and only stopped when she reached a vendor. "Mr. Wilson." she greeted with a nod.  
"Maggie. Adeline still sick?" Maggie nodded. Mr. Wilson heavily sighed. "Poor girl... here." Mr. Wilson pulled out a four red things that looked like candies and handed them to Maggie. "I'll tell that boy she hangs around that she's out still." Maggie tried to force back tears and gave Mr. Wilson a weak smile.  
"Thank you Sir, you're quite generous." She dipped her head and headed back down the way she came. However, only a few moments later, a small voice called after her.  
"Miss Maggie wait!" Maggie turned to the voice and saw Jack run across the street to her.  
"Jack, what are you doing here?"  
"Is Addy still not doin so good?" He asked her and bit his lip.  
Maggie frowned and bent down to his level. "I'm afraid not."  
"But what happened? Why is she so sick?"  
Maggie wanted to smile at his concern, but found that she simply couldn't. "Adeline has a very weak body. She can't alway fight the germs and dirt that you and I can. My guess is that last time she snuck out, she just got unlucky. But this is why she isn't allowed to leave the house." Maggie tried to explain to him. Jack chewed on his lip for a few seconds.  
Then, shyly, he held something out to Maggie. "I bought this for her last week..." It was a pink and blue bow with a wooden bird in the middle. This time, Maggie did smile.  
"I'll make sure she gets it. And Jack? Don't worry about her, she'll be fine - she always is."  
A couple minutes later, Maggie slipped back into Adeline's room and took off her gloves. As she walked towards Adeline, she took out the candies that the vendor gave her. "Miss Adeline. Adeline, sweetie. Please wake up." She whispered softly. Charles was in the other room and Maggie was never supposed to purposely wake Adeline when she ill. After a few minutes of quiet pleads and light shaking, Adeline groggily opened her eyes and looked at Maggie. The maid breathed a sigh of relief and handed her the candy. "Eat this, it will make you feel better, I promise." Maggie placed the small candy in Adeline's mouth.  
The next day, Maggie fed Adeline the candy again.  
On the third day, when Maggie came in to check up on Adeline and give her the next candy, Adeline was sitting up. "Miss Adeline, you're awake." Adeline only looked at Maggie and frowned.  
"How bad was it?" She asked with tears in her eyes. "How long?"  
Maggie hesitated to answer. "Three weeks. And you're still recovering. Here, eat this, it'll help." Adeline took the candy and laid back down.  
"Please tell papa I'm sorry." Maggie looked at Adeline in pity and smoothed down her hair. Within minutes, Adeline was asleep again.  
On the fourth day, Adeline's father came in to see her and was delighted to see her up and reading. It was clear that Adeline had much more energy than yesterday and was recovering rather quickly. Maggie noted with a small smile that Charles was smiling and showing more interest in Adeline. When Charles left, Maggie walked over to Adeline and handed her the small, not quite candy.  
"You need to rest darling." Adeline nodded with a yawn and handed Maggie her book. Within minutes, Adeline was asleep again.  
On the fifth day, Maggie prayed that Adeline was healthy enough - she had no more of the 'candies' and knew she couldn't ask for more. And when Adeline woke up in a coughing fit, her worry sky rocketed. When Charles poked his head in, he was relieved to see Maggie fussing over Adeline and that his girl was drinking most of the water he had set by her bed.  
Later in the day, Adeline was finally out of bed, but restricted to her room. Not that she wanted to leave - her curtains were drawn, the lights were nonexistent for the time being, she had books, some toys, and she had Maggie. For the day, Adeline was content to be in her room.  
It wasn't for another two days that she left her room, and then, her father admonished her. A few days after that, her father finally let her go downstairs. And then a week after that, even Maggie was trying to let Adeline into the backyard.  
Two weeks after that, Adeline snuck out again. Jack was thrilled to see her again, Wilson gave her a chocolate, and Miss Medda and Mr. Thompson lovingly welcomed her back to the theatre with open arms.  
The candies worked once again.  
~  
~  
~  
"Miss Adeline, please! Stand still!" Maggie admonished the girl, though she knew it was futile.  
Adeline jumped off the tiny stool and ran back to the window with an apprehensive and energetic smile. Maggie grabbed the light green sash that she had been trying to tie and bustled over to Adeline. As she tried to wrap it around Adeline's middle again, the girl turned around. Maggie tutted and forcefully turned the girl back to the window.  
"Miss. Adeline. Please. I need you to stand still for just a few seconds!" Adeline, who had been drumming her fingers on the window sill suddenly ceased all movement at Maggie's snappy tone. Maggie finished tying the sash and patted Adeline's shoulder. "There yo-" Adeline took off, nearly knocking Maggie down in the process, and ran down the stairs.  
As Maggie fussed about Adeline's problematic impatience, Adeline hurriedly put on her light blue, small heeled, shoes. As this was going on, Adeline's father came out of his downstairs study.  
"Well, if it isn't my little Blue Jay. Excited for your birthday trip?"  
Adeline beamed up at him as she finished the last strap on her shoes. "Yes Papa! I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun! I'll get to meet people, and go places, and eat new things and-" Charles laughed and ruffled Adeline's hair.  
"Just stay with Maggie and have fun." Then he paused. "Why, you don't have a bow in your hair?"  
Maggie came down the stairs and sighed. "I tried Sir, she wouldn't sit still long enough." Charles shook his head but laughed.  
"Not even that blue and pink bow? Lord knows I don't know where it came from, but you seem to love it." Adeline lit up and Maggie let out a small laugh as they hurried up the stairs to put it in. A few minutes later, half of Adeline's hair was pulled back into the pink and blue bow. The two said goodbye to Charles, left the house and walked down the street.  
First stop, the vendor, Mr. Wilson.  
Adeline and Mr Wilson talked for a while about various things such as her birthday ("How old are you now?" "I'm Thirteen today." "Well bless my soul!"), candy ("Don't tell anyone, but here's some chocolate." "A whole bar?!"), Jack ("We're going to visit him next!"), and then said their goodbyes.  
Maggie and Adeline had to go back the other way and often consulted a paper with the address where Jack lived. It took a while, and Adeline's new shoes were slowly getting dirty, but eventually they made it to a large building in a poor part of the town. Maggie knocked on the door and a guy, about 17, roughly opened the door.  
"Excuse me, we're looking for a Jack Kelly?" The guy turned his head back into the room.  
"AY KELLY, YA GOT VISITORS!" A few seconds later, the older boy left and Jack Kelly slipped out of the building.  
"Sorrys 'bout that. It's ya birthday right?" He said to Adeline. Adeline nodded and as they started walking, she took his hand. "Well then, happy birthday. Wish I coulda got youse somethin'." Jack said as he scratched his neck.  
Maggie then spoke up. "You're 14, right?" Jack nodded. "Well, no matter then. Besides, selling papers can't always pay good. I'm sure the bow-" Adeline brought her other hand up to touch it and both kids smiled. "-costs enough to cover today." Maggie shot a warning look to Adeline about her manners, but found that she didn't need to. "Right Adeline?"  
Adeline blushed and brought her hand down. "Of course Jack. The bow was wonderful." Jack grinned.  
For the next two hours, Maggie chaperoned the two while Adeline dragged them to stores she wanted to go to, or listened to Jack and tried some places he recommended. At one point, they ended up in a sweets store. Adeline and Jack had picked out a couple treats and while Maggie paid for them, the two lingered behind and talked.  
"... So Ise, uh, really like your dress, it looks good on you." Adeline blushed and played with the hem.  
"Thanks Jack."  
"You know, blues actually my favorite color." Adeline gaped at him in surprise, and Jack just stared at her.  
"But blues a girl color!" She said, a bit scandalized. Though she did admit that blue was a very pretty color. And that pink was also very pretty. But she'd never say that, not out loud!  
Jack shrugged. "Theyse just colors." Adeline went to argue but found that she didn't really have anything to say. Maggie came up to them at that point and ushered them out of the store. "If you wanted to, you could wear pink. And not just the stripe in your bow."  
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "So where to next?" Adeline floundered for a bit as she tried to come up with responses to both Jack and Maggie.  
Eventually, Adeline glared ahead in determination. "We're finding me a pink dress."  
~  
~  
~  
It was getting closer to summer, and Adeline was getting impatient. She never went out in the winter and her house was getting too small for her. She ignored the fact that she was sick for a large chunk of the winter; she just needed to get out. So Adeline snuck out of the house and started to make her way to Medda's. Adeline was going to, hopefully, meet Jack there.  
A few blocks away from Medda's a noise caught Adeline's attention. It came from the nearest alleyway and sounded like people talking. Adeline hid herself from the potential eyesight of whomever was down there and listened harder. There were two people. One was talking... the other sounded as if they were crying. Well, had been crying. They only conversed in hushed voices, and Adeline couldn't make out much, but they sounded quite young. After a little while longer of listening, Adeline knew that they were maybe about her age. With a shaky breath, Adeline peeled herself off the wall and made her way down the alleyway.  
And she was right - it was two boys around her age. But she was shocked to see Jack sitting in front of another boy. The other boy was smaller and his face was a bit bloodied. Adeline gasped and the two boys finally noticed her in a panic.  
"Jack?"  
"Adeline?"  
"Jack, who...?" Jack turned back to the other boy and wrapped his arm round the small boy's shoulders.  
"This is Adeline, that goil I told youse about?" The boy nodded and looked away from her. Adeline kept staring at the two. It was obvious that the smaller boy had recently been through something bad. And it was obvious that Jack knew him and was trying to help. "Adeline, this is Crutchie." Adeline slowly nodded even though the name didn't sound familiar.  
"How can I help?" Crutchie quickly looked back at her with wide eyes.  
"No! Miss, ya real-"  
"You're hurt. What if we just went to Medda? She wouldn't tell a soul and she'd help patch ya up." Jack and Crutchie exchanged looks - Jack pleading, Crutchie resistant. After a few seconds of complete silence, Crutchie sighed and nodded.  
"That's a yes. Now come on, Crutch." Jack wrapped one of Crutchie's arms around his shoulders and moved his own arm around Crutchie's waist. Ten minutes later, the three of them were in the theatre with Medda fussing over them - mostly Crutchie.  
Adeline pulled Jack out of the room as Medda cleaned up Crutchie, despite Jack's protests. Minutes of tense silence passed between the two. Out the corner of his eyes, Jack noticed the pink and blue bow in her hair. He didn't mention it, only smiled to himself. More time passed before Adeline finally said something.  
"Am I aloud to ask about Crutchie?" Jack looked at the carpet.  
"It's not my place to tell." Adeline nodded awkwardly. A few more minutes passed and Medda walked out of the room.  
"Your friend should be fine. He's waiting for you two." Medda left the two kids as the hurried into the room. Jack ran in ahead of Adeline and smothered Crutchie in a hug, resulting in annoyance from the sitting boy.  
"Jack, I'm fine." Jack only partially pulled back from his hug and ruffled Crutchie's hair.  
"Yeah right. It'll take a while to be fine after that whole thing." Crutchie glared at him as he got off of him. Meanwhile, Adeline stood awkwardly near the door, not quite feeling as though she should be there.  
"I-I should be going... my dad'll be mad if he finds out..."  
"Hey, thanks for helping me!" Crutchie told her with a small smile.  
Adeline shook her head. "I did what any good person should do. I'll, um, see you guys some other time." As she slipped out of the room and down the hallway, Jack worriedly looked after her and Crutchie nudged him. Jack lost his balance and rolled his eyes at his friend. Crutchie just glared at Jack and urged him to go after Adeline. After a few seconds, Jack gave in and ran after Adeline.  
When Adeline heard his footfalls, she stopped and turned around. "Adeline! Why are you out today?" Jack said with concern.  
"I haven't been outside in two months and I have been so closed off. I just needed a break. You know how my dad is." She shrugged. "Now go back! Crutchie clearly needs you more than I do right now so go." Jack gave her an unconvinced look.  
"Crutchie got kicked out from where he was stayin'. I'm just helpin' a friend." Adeline gave him an understanding look and waved.  
"See you later. Make sure he's safe."  
~  
~  
~  
Adeline looked out her window, not for the first time that morning, at Jack who was selling papers outside her house. Jack noticed the movement of her curtains, looked up at her, and waved with a smile, before continuing to advertise the papers. Adeline watched a little longer with a soft smile before leaving the window again. She grabbed a few pennies off her bedside table and went down the stairs. She quietly left the house and crossed the street with a grin. She approached Jack and glanced at the paper.  
"So what's the headline?" She asked with a smile.  
Jack grinned and peeled one away from the stack. "Oh it's a good one today - forest fire sends wildlife into a frenzy." A guy passing glanced at them.  
Adeline raised her eyebrows. "And what is it really?" She asked him in a hushed voice.  
"A small fire in Central Park caught a few leaves on fire but it disrupted a few birds and squirrels. They ran right into homes." Jack admitted with a small laugh.  
Adeline laughed at his antics and handed him nearly 10 cents. "One paper please." Jack handed her the top paper and he grinned.  
"Have a swell day Miss." Jack said (mildly sarcastic) with a sweet smile. Adeline looked back at her house, suddenly worried.  
"Bye Jack." Jack watched as she hurried back into her house. Once back in her house, she raced back to her room. Maggie was standing at the window. "Maggie?"  
"I won't tell." Adeline slowly nodded. "Do you fancy him?" Maggie gently questioned Adeline, who, in return, blushed and tried to stutter out a protest. "It's alright with me if you do." Adeline looked at her sadly. "I know, I'm not who matters in this situation." Adeline deflated and the two sat on her bed. Downstairs, the door closed. "You two would be good together. You make each other happy, I can tell."  
"Thank you Maggie." Suddenly, the two of them both heard muffled yelling from outside and raced to the window. They watched in horror and shock as Jack was accosted by Charles. At one point Jack looked at them and made eye contact with Adeline.  
What. The. Hell.  
After another ten minutes of yelling at Jack, Charles stomped back into the house. In a slightly gentler fashion, he came up the stairs, dismissed Maggie, and entered Adeline's room.  
"I never want to see that boy around here again. And I definitely don't want you talking to him. He's trouble, no good whatsoever. You hear me?" Adeline stared at her father in fear(?) or maybe just desperation. "You hear me Adeline?" He repeated more roughly. Adeline quickly nodded to placate him. "I love you my little Blue Jay."  
There was no way in Hell she was listening to that order.  
~  
~  
~  
The door was busted open.  
Adeline woke to it with a jolt.  
Maggie ran into the room as voices started yelling. Adeline was dragged out of bed by Maggie, and as she was quickly lead down the hall, she whispered warnings and instructions.  
"Take this Adeline, and run!" Maggie whispered with tears in her eyes as she shoved a package into Adeline's hands. "You have to run! Get out! Don't let them find you. Don't look back. Just run." Maggie had already opened the window and was shoving Adeline out. A gunshot rang through the house and Adeline started to speak. "There's no time! Keep the package safe and leave!" Maggie pushed Adeline away from her and slammed the window closed. Adeline steeled herself and ran off into the night.  
Maggie, on the other hand, turned around just as someone marched up the stairs with a gun.  
They pulled the trigger.  
It was three hours later when Adeline finally collapsed in front of a door. She still had the package in her arms as she fell, she landed right on it. Hard. She laid there for God knows how long, but she didn't think it was hours - at least she hoped it wasn't. She only moved when the door opened. Her movement was looking up.  
And she looked up. Right. At. Jack.  
Jack immediately sprung into action and carefully hulled her up. "Jesus Christ Adeline! What the hell happened? Are you a'right?!" Adeline melted into his arms and started crying. Jack's eyes widened and tightly hugged her. He whispered things of reassurance and affirmation to her as he repeatedly smoothed down her hair.  
Without asking any questions, he led her into the lodging house and sat her in a seat in the very back corner of the room. Most of the other boys were up and getting ready, and as a result, they were making noise. However, when they saw Adeline clinging to Jack and bawling her eyes out, they ceased their talking and averted their eyes.  
Jack skipped selling that day, but if he had been there he would've seen the headline:

FATAL KILLING IN HOME OF CHARLES BROWN!

TWO DEAD, ONE MISSING, AND $2,500 STOLEN

And there was a very clear picture to go with it.  
But Jack didn't go, so he didn't know until later. The other boys all went though, and they saw the headline. Some of the boys - those who didn't know Adeline's last name - were ecstatic about the headline and nice gory picture. But some boys, like Crutchie, were quiet for most of the day after they read the news. Their thoughts turned to Adeline, crying in the chair, and they began to worry. Though some of those boys tried to remain positive and reminded the others that Adeline wasn't one of the dead - she was the clearly the missing person.  
When the newsies all came back to the Lodging House, they all checked to see if Adeline's state had changed. It had. Instead of crying, she was sleeping. The package that she came with that morning was sitting on the small table next to her head. Jack was sitting next to her, glancing at her every few seconds. The boys stayed quiet. Crutchie and another newsie that went by Flower silently approached Jack. He looked up at the two and gave them a half-hearted smile.  
"Jack, youse should see this." Crutchie said in a hushed voice and looked over at Adeline. Flower handed him a newspaper. When Jack read the headline, he squeezed his eyes shut and reflexively grabbed Adeline's hand.  
"Adeline."  
Hours later, Adeline woke up in a daze. She looked around the room, one she'd been in many times before, but never slept in, and frowned. Then she saw the package on the tiny table next to her and sighed. She didn't know what happened, but she could guess. She had no idea what was in the package, and that she couldn't guess. Slowly, Adeline picked up the medium sized package and carefully opened the side.  
Money.  
There was so. Much. Money.  
Curiously, she took out each wad of money. There were five bundles, each adding to $500. Once she had taken out each bundle of money, she realized that there was something else in the package. It was light. So Adeline tipped the package, and out tumbled Adeline's pink and blue bow.  
Once again, Adeline was crying.  
~  
~  
~  
It was a Sunday, which meant that Adeline and Jack had what the other boys called a date, but what they called an outing. The term date made the two uneasy and blush and stutter. It wasn't that they didn't want to per se, it was that there was an added pressure with the title that they couldn't handle. Dates needed to be formal. Adeline and Jack didn't do formal, not together at least. That, and they've never talked about going on an actual date or anything else that goes along with that.  
And that's why Jack and Adeline were trying out a new deli. They had each ordered simple things, as not to potentially exhaust their expenses, and were eating their food while lightly conversing.  
It wasn't like before Adeline moved in with them - back then they didn't spend every moment with each other, didn't know all that had happened with the other in the last month or two. But now... now they knew everything. So they talked about their dreams (both the kind you have at night and your aspirations). Then the waiter came over to them and Adeline paid for their meal.  
"You two lovebirds havin' a good date?" Adeline beamed at him as she tried not to laugh.  
"Oh, sorry Sir, we'se not datin'. But thank you for checking." Jack politely corrected. The man laughed.  
"Sure ya ain't. What is it - parents don't approve? I know how it is, be careful when you go out there." Adeline's eyes narrowed just a fraction and her smile became just a bit more sad. Jack only sighed.  
"You're right Sir, my dad was furious when he found out that I hung around him. We were a higher class family, I was his only daughter, and this little bandit came an' stole my heart." The waiter nodded as if he knew the story well. "I'd hate to see his reaction to this." The two teens stood up, the waiter walked away, and they left the deli. "But I can't anymore."  
Jack grabbed her hand and made her look at him. "Hey, you'se real strong, ok? Lyin' to him like that 'bout ya father. I know it's a sore subjec' still." Jack kissed the back of her hand sand she gave him a confused grin.  
"I didn't lie... do you remember that day when I came outside to buy a pape from you? It was right across from my house, unlike the other days where you'd be a block down. When I went back into the house, my pa came out and just yelled at you for ages. You never sold by my house again, and I only ever got your pape once or twice a week afta that." Adeline reminded him with a happy, far-off look.  
Jack looked at her in surprise. "Wait, so all youse said in there was true? I didn't even know you remembered that."  
Adeline nodded. "He came in and yelled at me too, made me promise to never speak to you again." Jack nodded thoughtfully with a small 'huh'. The two started walking again. "That said... everything I said was true..." Adeline waited for him to catch on.  
Jack shrugged as if he understood.  
Silence passed between them for a few seconds.  
And then Jack whipped around to her.  
"Wait so you means ta tell me that you loved me all the ways back then?! You was 14!" Adeline smiled at him with an embarrassed blush.  
"Yeah. And now I'm nearly 16. It hasn't been that long..." Adeline trailed off as she saw a familiar face. A certain vendor. "Mr. Wilson?" Adeline raced away from Jack to her old friend. "Mr. Wilson, what are you doing over here? I haven't see you in years!"  
Mr. Wilson smiled at her as he handed her a piece of chocolate. "Miss Adeline, I hope you've been well."  
Adeline shrugged. "Sure. I guess."  
"I heard what happened to your father and Maggie." Adeline tried to bite back tears and nodded.  
At this point Jack came up to them. "I've managed pretty well. You remember Jack Kelly?" Mr. Wilson nodded to Jack and Jack nodded back. "I'm staying at the lodging house with him."  
"Bit of a down grade then?" Mr. Wilson mused. Jack bristled and Adeline shrugged.  
"I don't know. I mean, there's no frill, but the company's nice and I'm not trapped inside all the time anymore." She defended.  
"So you two're finally toge-"  
Adeline blinked. "What?" Mr. Wilson nodded to their intertwined fingers. Jack and Adeline stared for a couple seconds. "Oh. We haven't talked about it."  
"Well you should."  
Adeline and Jack had been walking through the park for nearly an hour more when they found a bench. Adeline unceremoniously sat down and Jack leaned against a nearby tree. "I am so sorry about today."  
"Addy. You said that you were in love with me, what, last year?" Adeline blushed and nodded. "Do youse... still feel that way?"  
Adeline paused, not really wanting to answer.  
"... Yes. Yes, I think I do."  
Jack nodded and bit back a smile.  
"Good." Jack leaned down, gently cupped Adeline's face, and kissed her. Adeline practically melted as she kissed back. Jack tasted like honey. Adeline tasted like strawberries.  
When they parted, the two of them lightly panted and just took in the moment.  
"Good..." Adeline repeated.  
The two walked back to the Lodging House, hand in hand (not that that was unusual), with smiles on their faces. And as soon as they opened the door, the other newsies knew what happened and started to cheer. This, of course embarrassed the Hell out of Adeline and Jack.  
Everything was peaceful. Everything was good.  
~  
~  
~  
For Jack, stress was everywhere.  
There were two new Newsies to watch, and yeah, they were nice, but they had also just started a goddamn strike. Jack needed to make money and the strike certainly wasn't helping on that front. And then there was Adeline.  
Adeline.  
She was wonderful, Jack loved her, and that's why he hated his position. Adeline was sick. She had been for four weeks. Jack didn't know how to help - as far as he knew, he had tried everything. When Adeline had first arrived, she had mentioned some red candy that used to help her, but she had no clue what the candy was or where to get it.  
Jack was very, very stressed.  
Adeline wouldn't wake up for more than a minute at a time. All the newsies learned during the week to keep food by her bed and used the short time she was awake to feed her. She had lost so much strength. Two weeks in, Jack started spending the night in her room. Specs would come in two or three times a week and read to her. At some point he had found out that she liked stories and hearing voices. And though Jack knew why, he'd never tell a soul. Most hours of the day, Adeline would cough in her sleep. Three weeks in, every newsie was on edge. Whenever Adeline would 'wake up' she was mostly delirious - most of the time, they couldn't get her to eat or drink anything.  
Even Davey and Les, the new guys, knew that something worse than the strike was happening. But whenever one of them got the courage to ask, they'd get a sad look, or a shake of a head, or the other person would just leave.  
It wasn't until the fourth week of Adeline being sick that Davey and Les even knew about her.  
In the fourth week, Adeline woke up. She was tired, but determined.  
The fourth week, Adeline got up and walked down stairs. The boys nearly rioted.  
That day, Adeline spoke to the boys and they listened.  
"I have more than 2,000 dollars in my room." There was a pause as Adeline closed her eyes and swayed dangerously where she stood. Jack rushed over and made her sit down. "When I'm-"  
"Addy, no."  
"Jack..." Adeline had to pause again. "I'm sorry. Use it... all of you... I can't..." And when Adeline closed her eyes, she didn't open them again for another three days.  
When she woke again, at the start of the fifth week, she called for Jack. She couldn't get much out. She only whispered four simple words.  
"I love you, Jack." Adeline stayed conscious just long enough for a reply.  
"I love you too Blue Jay," and by the time he kissed her hand, she was gone.  
Jack was broken.  
Nothing was ok.  
Time went on.  
The room wasn't touched for years. And on the bedside table, sat a worn blue and pink bow with a bird carving.  
~  
~  
~  
“What do you want to be for Halloween this year, sweetie?” Brooklyn ran to her mom in excitement and jumped on her lap.  
With a big hug she said, “A Newsie!”  
And, just like the last four years, her mom tried to hide a frown. “You say that every year… I still don’t know what you mean.”  
Brooklyn pouted. “From 1897!”  
Her mom continued to falter. “I don’t know how to get the costume you want.” Seeing her daughter’s dejected look, she quickly tried to make it better. “But I will try! For you , I will try to get the costume.” Brooklyn lit up again. “But sweetie, in case I can’t find it again this year, is there anything else you’d like to be?”  
“A maid.”  
“Ok kid.”  
~  
~  
~  
“Happy 11th birthday, sweetie!” Brooklyn’s mother cheered as she brought out a small chocolate cake. “Now, I know you like small gifts, so what do you want this year?”  
“A piece of chocolate, a walk around town, and… a pink and blue bow.” Her mother nodded as she had for the last 6 years.  
“Ok pumpkin.”  
And so the mother and daughter went on a walk around town. They wandered around some stores, and in the first one, the mom tried to buy her a candy bar. Brooklyn refused. She wouldn’t have the whole bar, she just wanted a tiny piece. And so, her mom bought her a single Dove chocolate.  
And in every store, they looked at the various bows, ribbons, headbands, and pins. None of them fit the bill. And, just like every other year, her mother watched her daughter with confusion.  
Adeline could not understand Brooklyn.  
~  
~  
~  
Brooklyn knew her mom didn’t understand. She knew that she didn’t have the memories of another person. Brooklyn knew that her mom would never understand the importance of Blue Jays, the pink and blue bow, honey and strawberries, a pink dress, tiny red candies and chocolate, or even the theatre. She knew that her mom would never know about Jack, or Maggie, or Medda, Mr. Wilson, or any of the other newsies. And Brooklyn knew that she’d have to deal with this by herself.  
Brooklyn was independent and strong - she could make it.  
~  
~  
~  
When Brooklyn walked into her high school for the first time and when the Principal walked up to her, she nearly hyperventilated.  
She knew the person standing in front of her.  
“Mr. Wilson.” She breathed out with a smile.  
“Miss Adeline.”  
“I- uh… It’s Brooklyn now. And you’re Principal Davis.” Mr. Wilson nodded with a small grin.  
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you those candies when you were sick.” Adeline tried not to show her surprise, and in response, only nodded. She could see something dark swirl behind his eyes. “Did you and Jack ever get over yourselves?”  
“Yeah, that same day you asked us about it. The last day I… yeah, we started dating that Sunday. You haven’t happened to see him, have you?” Mr. Wilson shook his head.  
“Afraid not, but tell you what - if you do well enough in high school you can do anything and go anywhere you want.” Brooklyn nodded with a smile.  
“Noted. Thanks Wi- Principal Davis.”  
~  
~  
~  
Brooklyn excelled in theatre. She poured every ounce of passion, every fiber of her being, into her school theatre. She quickly became the star in many, many shows. And the ones where she was a supporting character, she did her best and was very happy. In fact, she spent so much time and energy on plays and musicals, that she forgot to deal with very real things in her life.  
Things like Jack.  
Things like pink and blue bows.  
Things like the fact that her principal used to be a candy vendor and had probably saved her life three times a year until she was 15.  
Things like falling in love with both the girl who sat in front of her in every English for three years (Hazel), and the boy in theatre with perfect blue eyes (Andrew).  
Things like Hazel and Andrew dating each other.  
Yes, Brooklyn excelled in theatre. She was the lead in most plays and tried her best to make the productions perfect. She never talked about her feeling - instead she pushed them down. And she was ok with that. Theatre was her life. Theatre distracted her from her problems.  
Well, it did until March of her Junior year.  
~  
~  
~  
Brooklyn’s history teacher called her back at the end of class. “What’s going on? You’re getting an A, but this is the first time in a week that you’ve come to class.”  
Brooklyn shrugged. “I know this stuff. I’ve know everything about U.S. history since I was 7.”  
“Seven?”  
Brooklyn blushed. “I had an obsession.”  
Mr. Miller gave her a calculation gaze. “I’ll talk to the principal. Meanwhile, make me a detailed poster on any point in American history. I’ll give you a general rubric, we’ll discuss points later. I’ll give you a week. Work hard. Do good. You can go to lunch.”  
Brooklyn held back a confused smile and nodded. “Thank you Mr. Miller.”  
~  
Brooklyn came into U.S. History a week later with a large tri-fold poster. It was on 1885 through 1900. Fifteen years. Specifically, 1885-1900 in New York.  
It was worth 175 points.  
Brooklyn got every. Single. Point.  
~  
~  
~  
Brooklyn got a role in every production her school put on. She had been in six. And then she got sick during auditions. Luckily, her friends came over and gave her two small, red candies.  
Brooklyn loved her friends - of course she did.  
They just so happened to be the girl she sat behind in English and boy she shared lead roles with.  
Brooklyn sat out her first play.  
So did Andrew.  
So now, suddenly, the three of them all had constant free time. Since they’re all friends, it only made sense that they spent that time together, and so they did. Well, they hung out a couple times in the following week.  
And then Brooklyn was forced to stare the truth in the eyes.  
Brooklyn was really hella bi and head over heels for both of her best friends who were currently dating each other.  
~  
~  
~  
As Brooklyn tried to absorb the facts, she inadvertently distanced herself from Hazel and Andrew. Luckily for her, her two friends weren’t taking any of that shit, and one day they dropped by the house with brownies and without a warning. Brooklyn nearly cried on the inside.  
“Sorry for not warning you, but we knew you’d refuse to let us in if we told you we were coming.” Hazel said as she handed Brooklyn a huge brownie and sat on her bed next to her.  
“Seriously Brook, I know sitting out on a play is hard, but this is ridiculous.” Andrew said as he rolled his eyes and also plopped down next to her. So now, Brooklyn was laying on her stomach in the middle of her bed with a brownie, in between the two people she was high-key crushing on.  
“It isn’t the play. I’m just coming to terms with some shit and wanted to be alone.” Brooklyn grumbled as she took a rather large bite of her brownie. Hazel and Andrew shared a worried look.  
Andrew spoke first. “You know… you can talk to us?”  
“Yeah Brook, about anything.”  
Brooklyn sighed and set down her brownie.  
There was silence for a while.  
“You haven’t talked to us in six days. And that sucks for multiple reasons.” Hazel said as she started to play with Brooklyn’s hair. Brooklyn stared at her blankets as if they had suddenly become the most fascinating thing on Earth.  
Andrew let out an irritated sigh and Hazel shot him a small glare.  
“...Do you want to listen to Broadway?” He asked Brooklyn. Slowly, Brooklyn looked up at him.  
“Yes?”  
“Cool. One you know, or not?”  
Brooklyn thought about that, maybe a bit harder than necessary. “Known.”  
“Ok.” Andrew pulled up a playlist on his phone and let it quietly play in the background. The overture, of course was beautiful. “So, do you want to talk about it?”  
Brooklyn sighed and rolled her eyes. However, on the inside, she was near dying from nerves. “...I’m bi.” Hazel smiled.  
“I still love you.” Those words made tears come to Brooklyn’s eyes, for many reasons.  
“Well, you know I’m bi, so I’m always on board with a new queer friend.” Andrew said. Brooklyn laughed a little and took another bite of her brownie.  
“Yeah, and… I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but I’m pansexual.” Hazel admitted. Brooklyn stared at her in surprise.  
“Really?!” Hazel nodded with a little grin.  
“I’m… well, there’s a little more to it, but yeah.” Brooklyn sighed a breath of relief.  
“Well then. That went a lot better than expected…”  
Andrew gave her a knowing look. “But?”  
“I’m also polyamorous. I think? I mean, I’m not positive, but I might be.” She rambled out.  
“Cool.” Hazel replied.  
Andrew and Hazel gave each other small nods. “Well, since we’re revealing a lot of truths today, Andrew and I have been meaning to talk to you about something kind of big. It isn’t anything bad - promise - but you can say no.”  
Brooklyn nodded, feeling ready to take on the world with her friends.  
“We’ve been talking and… we’d like to date you.” Andrew said. Both Hazel and Brooklyn blinked in surprise.  
There was silence for a while. After nearly a minute of Brooklyn’s brain completely short circuiting, she stood up and faced the two.  
“I swear to God, you better not be pulling my leg or I will kill you.” Hazel and Andrew immediately sat up straight.  
“We would never.” Hazel promised. Brooklyn looked to Andrew and he nodded with a soft smile.  
Brooklyn slowly nodded, as though finalizing her thoughts. “Ok, yes. I’d love to. God, I have liked you two since freshman year.” The two others hopped off Brooklyn’s bed and tackled her in a hug. When they all pulled away, Brooklyn looked at her new boyfriend and girlfriend. “Can I kiss you two?” In response, Hazel lightly kissed Brooklyn on the lips.  
“You could’ve just said yes.” Andrew said to Hazel when she pulled away. Brooklyn raised an her eyebrows and he grinned. Andrew placed another light kiss on Brooklyn’s lips.  
.  
.  
.  
Neither of them tasted like honey.  
~  
~  
~  
Meet me at the park near my house.  
Brooklyn kept anxiously looking at the text she sent to Hazel and Andrew. She was doing this. She hated herself for doing this.  
“Brooklyn!” Brooklyn’s head snapped up to Hazel and Andrew as they approached. “Hey honey, what’s up? Why’d you text us?”  
Brooklyn took a deep breath. “I hate to do this… I really, really, really hate this.”  
“Brooklyn, what’s wrong?”  
Brooklyn looked away from them. “I need to break up with you guys.”  
~  
Many brownies were made.  
~  
~  
~  
Brooklyn finished putting her boxes in the moving van and sighed. She was leaving for college in New York. This was what she was waiting for her whole life. Brooklyn could live the life that she should’ve in the 1900’s - the life she couldn’t have.  
~  
When Brooklyn was 25, she moved to National City for her new job.  
~  
~  
~  
Brooklyn smiled at the barista as they handed her her cup of iced coffee. It was a beautiful day, and one that Brooklyn didn’t work on. Brooklyn was quite happy about that in fact. As she walked through the park, the noted the different benches and sadly smiled.  
She would never have the boy that gave her a pink and blue bow.  
Brooklyn figured that she had more time to waste and decided she wanted to walk around town. So she did. As Brooklyn wasted time, she took in the sights, and sipped her iced coffee. It was a peaceful day, and the loved the bustle of the city - it reminded her so much of New York.  
She was just walking.  
Was.  
And then she saw a familiar person, a few steps ahead, texting on his phone, facing away from her.  
“Jack… Kelly?” Brooklyn gaped at the guy. The guy spun around and his eyes widened exponentially.  
“Adeline?!” Soon, Brooklyn got over her immediate shock and took the last few steps to her b… to Jack and kissed him. On instinct, Jack cupped her face and passionately kissed her back.  
Adeline pulled away and gave him a quick hug. “Oh my God! I can’t believe it’s you - I mean you’re here - oh my shit! I’ve missed you so much!”  
“Well, I’ve missed you too, Blue Jay.” He smiled and they lightly kissed again.  
Brooklyn smiled and grabbed his hand. “My name’s Brooklyn by the way.”  
“I’m Winn.” He said with an airy laugh.  
“Winn…? Who’s this?” Brooklyn spun around with wide eyes and came face to face with a confused looking blonde girl. Brooklyn felt herself become defensive and a tad bitter. Winn noticed this and to calm her, kissed her cheek while he squeezed her hand.  
“Kara, hey! This is Ad- Brooklyn. We… dated a while back.” Winn said, not quite sure how much to tell her.  
Brooklyn let out a snort and covered her mouth as she muttered to herself. “Understatement of the century.” Winn forced back his own small laugh and Kara gave them a confused smile.  
“That was some reunion for exes…” Kara tried to joke and get more information. The two girls waited and painfully watched as Winn tried to stutter out an excuse. After about twenty seconds of that, Brooklyn finally took pity on him. She kissed his cheek and he trailed off with a blush.  
“Can I tell her what happened or…? Is she a safe person?” At this, Kara felt a budding resentment toward Brooklyn, her best friend’s supposed ex. Winn looked between the two girls and chewed his lip, debating with himself.  
Then he nodded decisively and Brooklyn nodded as well, as if to assure him of his decision. “Ok.” Kara looked between them in confusion.  
Brooklyn took a breath and smiled excitedly. Winn watched her with a nearly lovesick. “Oh God, I’ve never told anyone before… Ok, so, I’m just gonna say it ok?” Kara nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to. “Jack - Winn, sorry - and I dated in 1898 and early 99. We had to stop  
‘cause… um.” Winn looked away from Brooklyn and started to fidget with his hands. Brooklyn looked at him sadly and moved closer to him in an attempt to comfort him. “Sorry J- Winn.” She whispered. “At 16, I died from an unknown sickness.” Winn grimaced and Brooklyn gently grasped his hand again. Kara stared at the two of them for a few minutes as she struggled to register what she just heard.  
Finally, she understood enough of it to understand. “Oh. Well, I’m sorry, that sounds really… traumatic. For both of you.”  
Brooklyn’s eyes dramatically widened as she remembered something and she turned to Winn with a bright smile. “Oh my God, so I found Mr. Wilson, the vendor guy!” Winn grinned at her.  
“Really? Did he remember?” Quickly, he turned to Kara. “Sorry. I’ll talk to you later, ok?” Kara nodded and waved bye to them.  
Brooklyn enthusiastically nodded at Winn’s question. “He was my High School Principal. And yes, he did remember.”  
“You happen to meet anyone else?” Winn joked, not expecting anything.  
But Brooklyn hesitated and Winn narrowed his eyes, just a fraction.  
“I… I um… I met Flower. She didn’t remember anything. Trust me, I’d know. She wasn’t faking.”  
Jack frowned. “That must’ve been hard… They’re alright though now, right?”  
Brooklyn’s gaze softened a little. “Yeah. Flower’s a she now, and she’s a wonderful, flourishing, raging pansexual who lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, Andrew.” Jack’s expression changed to understanding and relief, and Brooklyn kissed him. “You still taste like honey.”  
Winn smiled back at her with overwhelming happiness. “And you’re still strawberries.”  
~  
~  
~  
Kara Danvers was floundering. Brooklyn’s birthday was coming up and Kara really had no clue what she liked. However, there was one thing she knew, and that was that Brooklyn was deeply in love with the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. So she took all her free time to browse antique shops around the city. She had been to five stores in three days. But nothing she found felt right.  
She had found everything ranging from tiny keys to some deli signs. She even found a pink dress that was stiff but obviously made for a young girl of higher status. That was definitely out of the question - Brooklyn was about 13 years too old for it. After two hours in the same store, Kara decided to leave.  
As she left the store, she walked right past a pink and blue bow.  
She left the store, climbed into her car, and started the engine.  
Two minutes later she walked back into the store and bought the bow.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure why I added in the brownies, but oh well.
> 
> I wrote this story a while ago purely because there really weren't a lot of Newsie/Supergirl crossovers and I wanted one. Feedback is very mucch appreciated!
> 
> Oh, this is also the first story I've posted on here, so if I screwed something up, please tell me. I've also posted this on Wattpad so... yeah.


End file.
